Dictionary

choker en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˈtʃəʊkə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈt͡ʃoʊkɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree English choke Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English choker From choke + -er.

Meanings

1. A piece of jewelry or ornamental fabric, worn as a necklace or neckerchief, tight to the throat.
   • She appears on the 90th anniversary issue of French Vogue wearing nothing but a mask, gloves and a choker – everything but her now iconic gap-toothed pout and impressive cleavage is obscured. 2010 October 24, Alice Fisher, “Lara Stone: 'I think naughty photoshoots suit my personality'”, in The Observer:
   • The words: “Take your hands off when I say no, take your eyes off when I say no” were spelled out on video screens as the first model marched past in loose black layers, a punky choker and black shoes. 2023 September 26, Jess Cartner-Morley, “Dior opens Paris fashion week with feminist sloganeering on the catwalk”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • After half a minute or so there was a shuffle of feet outside. The door was opened, and a head appeared. It was a small head with a tweed cap on the top of it. It had a stringy-looking choker beneath and a dark unshavenness across its face. 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 128:
   • Anne Talbot looked demurely ravishing, as was her intention, in a very low-cut evening frock of bottle-green, choker of Kelantan silver, earrings in the shape of krises. 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 292:
2. One who, or that which, chokes or strangles.
   • The Yorkshire Choker, a serial killer who quotes Shakespeare, is pursued by Dalziel and Pascoe. 1990, Janet Husband, Jonathan F. Husband, Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series, page 199:
3. One who, or that which, chokes or strangles. ▸ A traffic calming device used to narrow a road and produce a chokepoint.
4. One who operates the choke of an engine during ignition.
5. (slang) Any disappointing or upsetting circumstance.
   • I lost £100 on the horses today — what a choker!
6. One who performs badly at an important part of a competition because they are nervous, especially when winning.
   • The choker tag will always follow the Proteas until we win a trophy — Temba Bavuma
7. A loop of cable fastened around a log to haul it.

Forms

Coordinates

chicane · splitter

Deriveds

choker chain · chokerman · muffin choker · white choker · choker fan · nigger choker · hogchoker · chokered

Synonyms

strangler · downer · strangler · bummer · pisser

Translations (38)

ru ожере́лье (jewelry or accessory) · pl dusiciel (one who chokes another) · es ahorcador (one who chokes another) · it girocollo (jewelry or accessory) · ru цепо́чка (jewelry or accessory) · es huallca (jewelry or accessory) · fi panta (jewelry or accessory) · it strangolatrice (one who chokes another) · ja 首輪 (jewelry or accessory) · cmn 项链 (jewelry or accessory) · cmn 項鍊 /项炼 (jewelry or accessory) · sv kvävare (one who chokes another) · fr ras-de-cou (jewelry or accessory) · ru души́тельница (one who chokes another) · bg удушвач (one who chokes another) · uk ґіордан (jewelry or accessory) · is melluband (jewelry or accessory) · pt choker (jewelry or accessory) · gl carcán (jewelry or accessory) · sv choker (jewelry or accessory) · de Halsband (jewelry or accessory) · pl dusicielka (one who chokes another) · fr étrangleur (one who chokes another) · pl choker (jewelry or accessory) · ru души́тель (one who chokes another) · ms coker (jewelry or accessory) · fi kuristaja (one who chokes another) · nl wurger (one who chokes another) · pt gargantilha (jewelry or accessory) · de Halskette (jewelry or accessory) · is hálsfesti (jewelry or accessory) · sv collier (jewelry or accessory) · it strangolatore (one who chokes another) · ru колье́ (jewelry or accessory) · ja チョーカー (jewelry or accessory) · pt estrangulador (one who chokes another) · es gargantilla (jewelry or accessory) · it collana (jewelry or accessory)